DEPARTMENT MISSION STATEMENT

"It is the mission of the Flat Rock Police Department to protect the lives and property of thecommunity we serve, to reduce crime, and enhance the safety of the public. Our mandate is to do sowith integrity, honor, respect, and compassion. In partnership with our community, we will conductourselves with the highest ethical standards to forever maintain the trust and confidence of all wholive, work, and visit here."

12th Annual Miles for Miracles

We want to give a big shout out to the Flat Rock Police Officers Association and the Flat Rock Command Officers Association for their donation to the Michigan Chapter of PRF (Progeria Research Foundation). They presented a check in the amount of $1,000 to Lindsay Ratcliffe, on behalf of the Michigan Chapter. Flat Rock loves you Lindsay and we can't wait to support you tomorrow at the 12th Annual Miles for Miracles Event! Come out and join us! Details as follows:

Location: Fountain Park (behind the Flat Rock Library)Registration/Fee: Begins at 9:00am/$20There will be a 2 mile walk and a 3 mile fun run. Start times are 10:30 for the walk with the run to follow shortly after. There will also be a DJ, a huge bake sale, tons of silent auction raffle opportunities, and a great family atmosphere.

Flat Rock Welcomes New Police Officers

Say hello to our newest officers! In between Lt. Murphy and Sgt. Page from left to right are:Scott Beggs, Zachary Schlarb, Shane Stanton, Brandon Moss, and Noah Smykowski.

WELCOME ABOARD OFFICERS!!!

CHIEF ADDRESSES DEPARTMENT AFTER DALLAS SHOOTINGS

Below is a letter sent to all members of the Flat Rock Police Department from the Chief of Police:

All,

At times like this, words do not come easy. The senseless killing of five Dallas police officers affects all of us, right down to the very core of our being. We feel angry, helpless, misunderstood, alone, and confused. While these are all normal feelings to have, it is important we don't act on them in a negative way. It is my hope we will act, instead of react, with purpose and resolve as guardians of our community. In times like this we need to reaffirm our commitment to our residents, business owners, and visitors, that we are here to safeguard their safety and quality of life. We are here as members of our community, equally vested in a future that continues to respect everyone's perspectives, views, and uniqueness.

I have received several messages from members of the Flat Rock community over the last several days. We are supported and placed in the highest regard by our community. We are blessed to have this support and it is important now, more than ever, that we do everything in our power to protect and preserve that support and trust. Sometime during your next tour of duty, I'd like to ask each of you to take out the challenge coin you were issued. You will see on the patch side four words. They are placed around the patch in order for a reason. "Integrity" is found at the top. It is there because without integrity, we are nothing. On the bottom is "Community" because our community is the foundation and base of our existence. "Honor" and "Trust" are on either side of the patch. These two traits are mutually supportive and inclusive in "Integrity" and "Community". We must always honor our community, our oath, our badge, our profession, and all those who have served before us with integrity. "Trust" is earned through demonstrated integrity throughout our community. Once earned it cannot be taken for granted and must be continuously worked on. We are looked to as leaders and entrusted with great authority. Please remember the great responsibility that accompanies that authority with every encounter you have. We must, in partnership with our community, find ways to continuously interact and engage in positive ways, thus strengthening relationships and ensuring continued mutual support and trust. Our mission statement sums it up nicely:

"It is the mission of the Flat Rock Police Department to protect the lives and property of the community we serve, to reduce crime, and enhance the safety of the public. Our mandate is to do so with integrity, honor, respect, and compassion. In partnership with our community, we will conduct ourselves with the highest ethical standards to forever maintain the trust and confidence of all who live, work, and visit here."

In closing, I'd like to remind you of a passage from the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, which I believe is extremely applicable at this time, "As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve the community; to safeguard lives and property, to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality, and justice." These are our "fundamental" duties. Let's continue to make them our number one priority as we move forward. I'm proud of the integrity, honor, trust, and sense of community you each bring to work every day. Thank you for your exemplary service.

Please keep the Dallas Police Department and greater Dallas area in your thoughts and prayers as they mourn their loss. As a reminder, all members of the Flat Rock Police Department are authorized to wear a mourning band until the last Dallas officer is laid to rest.

Flat Rock Police Win 2015 Guns and Hoses Softball Tournament

On Sunday, July 12th, the police department participated in the 2015 Guns and Hoses Softball tournament. This event was made possible by the hard work of Recreation Director Rodney Wade and Flat Rock Fire Fighter Tim Webb. Mayor Dropiewski kicked things off by addressing all the teams and thanking everyone for their participation. The first picture features Mayor Dropiewski, Chief of Police Leacher and Fire Chief Vack shaking hands before the first game which featured the Flat Rock Police Department vs. the Flat Rock Fire Department. The second features the The Flat Rock Police Department team with the trophy. The police department went undefeated on the day! Congratulations to the police department and thanks to everyone who participated in this most worthwhile event. We can't wait to do it again next year!

4th of July Fireworks Reminders and Safety Tips

As you make plans for what we hope is an AWESOME 4th of July Independence Day celebration, please keep in mind discharge of fireworks are allowed tomorrow, July 3rd, Saturday July 4th, and Sunday July 5th only. Ordinance also prohibits discharge of fireworks between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. on those days.

The National Council on Fireworks Safety also recommends the following safety tips when using fireworks:

- Know your fireworks; read the cautionary labels and performance descriptions before igniting. - A responsible adult SHOULD supervise ALL firework activities. NEVER give fireworks to children. - Alcohol and fireworks do not mix. Save your alcohol for after the show. - Wear safety glasses when shooting fireworks. - Light one firework at a time and then quickly move away. - Use fireworks OUTDOORS in a clear area; away from buildings and vehicles. - Never relight a "dud" firework. Wait 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water. - Always have a bucket of water and charged water hose nearby. - Never carry fireworks in your POCKET or shoot them into METAL or GLASS containers. - Do not experiment with homemade fireworks. - Dispose of spent fireworks by wetting them down and place in a metal trash can away from any building or combustible materials until the next day.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!

Police Officers and Firefighters Celebrate March Reading Month by Reading to Flat Rock Students

Flat Rock Police Officers and Firefighters read to students at Summit Academy and Barnes Elementary school recently in honor of March Reading Month. They were joined by a police officer from St.Clair Shores as well as a medical professional. Everyone that participated in this event had a great time. We're pretty sure the readers had as much fun as the kids did, maybe even more!

POLICE DEPARTMENT CELEBRATES NATIONAL RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS WEEK WITH HELP FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES!

The Police Department would like to give a BIG SHOUT OUT to McDonald's and Zorba's Restaurant for their support of our Random Acts of Kindness Initiative that took place last week during National Random Acts of Kindness Week. Officers handed out Extra Value Meal and Happy Meal coupons provided by McDonald's as well as gift certificates provided by Zorba's. Officers went into schools and found students following the rules. They were rewarded with the Happy Meal coupons. Other coupons and the gift certificates were handed out on traffic stops where people were stopped and rewarded for obeying the traffic laws and being good drivers. Below is an article run in the Monroe Evening News. Thanks to Danielle Portteus for running this story.

Police Department Hires 2nd Female Officer In It's History!

At the regular council meeting held on Tuesday January 20th, Heather Rodery was sworn in as the second female police officer in the city's history. The Oath of Office was administered by City Clerk Meaghan Bachman and the Oath of Honor was given by Chief of Police John Leacher. Officer Rodery's father had the honor of pinning her badge to her uniform signifying the beginning of what we believe will be a successful career in a community that truly cares for and supports our men, and now woman, in blue. Welcome to Flat Rock Officer Rodery and welcome to your new family!

New Officer Receives Oath of Honor

At the City Council meeting on January 5th, 2015, Flat Rock's newest police officer, Joshua Bouchard received the Oath of Honor, presented to him by Chief John Leacher. Officer Bouchard's Mother, Father, Sister, and Grandmother came to support him as well. The Oath of Honor is promise that we, as law enforcement officers will place honor, integrity, courage, accountability, and public trust above all else in service to our community. Officer Bouchard says Flat Rock feels like home. We say, welcome to the family Officer Bouchard, and welcome home!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! (BUT PLEASE REMEMBER THIS...)

The police department wants to take a moment to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year! PLEASE remember, per Flat Rock Code of ordinances, "no person shall discharge any firearm, air rifle, air pistol or bow and arrow in the city, except when lawfully acting in the defense of persons or property..." Simply put, firing a gun in the air to celebrate New Years is against the law. If you fire a gun into the air, the bullet can travel up to a mile in the air before falling. A bullet that goes up has to come down somewhere and these "celebratory" bullets can cause serious injury, even death. So please celebrate responsibly this New Years. We want to see ALL of you happy and healthy in 2015. Happy New Year Everyone!

Students Decorate PD Lobby For the Holidays!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Flat Rock Community Schools Art Teacher Ms. Papalas and Summit Academy 4th grade teacher Ms. Flourney for bringing students and their families to decorate the lobby of the police department. Ms. Papalas art students came from Ms. Buehrer's 4th grade class and Ms. Gosen's 2nd grade class. As you can see, all the kids did an awesome job making our lobby look festive for the holidays.

A special Thank you as well to Sgt. Korody for organizing this event which I'm sure will become a special tradition for the kids and us here at the PD for years to come. Thanks Again!!!!!

SNOW EMERGENCIES

Hey Flat Rock, it's beginning to feel a lot like winter out there which means it won't be long until we are dealing with our favorite winter four (4) letter word...SNOW! Just want to take a minute and remind everyone that a snow emgergency will be declared if two (2) or more inches of snow falls and may be declared when forecasts indicate accumulations of two (2) or more inches of snow is eminent.

When a snow emergency is declared you must get your vehicles off the street so city crews can clear the roads for emergency vehicle travel. Failure to do so can result in your vehicle being ticketed and towed. Snow emergency notifications are placed on cable, radio, the city's web page, and local broadcast media.

Thanks in advance for doing your part this winter to keep our community safe!

Neighborhood Watch

The Flat Rock Police Department actively promotes Neighborhood Watch. Neighborhood Watch is a systematic approach to crime prevention. When operated properly, Neighborhood Watch becomes a vehicle by which the community and police department partner with each other to have a marked impact on not just crime, but other quality of life issues as well.

If you are interested in obtaining information on how to start a Neighborhood Watch where you live, or would just like to know more about Neighborhood Watch in general, please contact Chief John Leacher for more information. He can be reached at 734-782-0636.Together, we can, as McGruff the Crime Dog would say, "TAKE A BITE OUT OF CRIME!"

Community Lutheran Provides Appreciation Dinner to Public Safety

The police department would like to thank all the volunteers from Community Lutheran Church who provided an appreciation dinner for police/fire personnel and their spouses/significant others on Wednesday November 12th.

The food was outstanding and much appreciated by all who attended. But more importantly, we were touched by your generosity and want you to know your hard work and thoughtfulness meant the world to us.

We are proud and honored to serve a community that truly cares.

Thanks again!!!

Questions/Comments

Have a question or concern? Want to leave us an anonymous tip? Not sure how to handle that traffic ticket, or just have a question you think we can help you with? WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Please contact us at: